"Isn't he a bit young?"
Oscar was the youngest general in the room. He was 1 year older than Caelum but younger than everyone else.
"By saying that, you're discrediting the king's prowess simply because of his youth, " the monk said quietly.
The generals stood in front of Oscar, judging him silently.
"Hello everyone. I'm... Oscar Tolien. This is my lieutenant, Routhu. He's an orc, but he's as intelligent as all of you, if not even smarter. He helped me, so please welcome him warmly."
Oscar bowed, gesturing with his hands for Routhu to do the same.
"Right. I am... Routhu."
He bowed.
"You all should get acquainted! You have control over the armies. So it is your move. What should be done, what shouldn't be done? All your choice. Obviously, this gives you a lot of responsibility. The fate of the country is in your hands!"
. . .
. .
.
"Where do you come from, Oscar?" Nuvian asked, as the generals watched over the cadets, training. They sat on the wooden fence that surrounded the training grounds, those wooden fences being surrounded by stone brick walls.
"I was born a slave. So I'm not exactly sure."
"Ah. Your life must have been extremely challenging. How unfortunate."
"What about you? Where do you come from?"
"I'm a monk, as you can probably tell. I used to write literature in the mountains, inside the monastery. But now, I'm a general for this kingdom."
"I see..."
The conversation ended at that. There was something more interesting.
An individual swung their sword the same way everyone else did. It was a demi-human soldier. But something about that soldier, Oscar was drawn to.
"Hey, erm.. "
"Nueleth."
"Right, Nueleth!" Oscar was a little shaken. A Mahaut family member. Her white hair, and her yellow eyes, reminded him all too much of Isalda. Nonetheless, he shook his head, attempting to clear his mind.
"That young boy there... do you know him?"
"Him? That young demi-human? His swordsmanship is above average, but besides that, I don't think there's much special about him."
"Right, right. But... what's his name?"
"His name is Bastle, I believe. One of the sole survivors of an attack from the Sar warriors."
Oscar paused, soaking up the information he was given. Bastle. A lone demi-human. He appeared younger than Oscar, which threw him off a little. It wasn't very often that he saw someone in his age group.
Occasionally, Oscar would stop and think: "Wow, I'm a general now."
"So this is what General Yesynore felt like?" he said to himself, silently.
Being a general was a new feeling. Having control over so many people. Having control over so many decisions. Previously, he had no control over his own decisions, over his own person. But now, things have changed.
It was awfully calm, though. The Sar forces had been temporarily pushed out of the country, and now we were planning a counterattack.
"This is that calm before the storm that everyone talks about?" he chuckled to himself.
As if he jinxed it-
Pitter patter.
Rain began to fall, dark clouds rolling over the bright blue sky. Normally, it would snow. But today, it was raining.
. . .
. .
Inside the barracks were fairly nice. It was meant for the soldiers, so there weren't any rooms for the generals, as this place was just meant to be a meeting place.
Tight, wooden walls that could keep in heat and repel the cold. Normally, a base meant for the military would be expected to be a rough, harsh one. But it was surprisingly homely.
"Nice, isn't it?" Merlyn asked. She was the cheery general.
"Huh?"
Oscar was too lost analyzing the small details of the base, he did not realize that she was talking to him.
"The place. It's nothing like where I used to rest."
"Oh. You were a soldier before becoming a general?"
"Duh. All of us were. What, you expected me to just be some damsel who happened to get a position like this because I'm cute?"
"I don't think I said anything that would make you believe that."
"So you don't think I'm cute?"
"I-"
"You think I'm ugly?"
"I didn't-"
"Haha! I'm messing with you! You should've seen the look on your face, seriously kid. Lighten up a little bit. You're so stiff."
"Haha... right, sorry." Oscar nervously laughed it off.
He relaxed his shoulders, not realizing how tensed up he was. His instinct to always stay alert was at play.